Musical instrument with cords and bow

ABSTRACT

A stringed instrument having the general configuration of a violin in which the front and rear resonance plates are formed along their interior with recesses of generally elliptical configuration centered on the longitudinal axis of the instrument while additional recesses are formed at vibration centers at quadrants of the body to permit the instrument to complement the usual violin and replace the viola or violincello in quartets and other instrumental ensembles consisting primarily of stringed instruments.

United States Patent Delu [ 51 Sept. 19, 1972 [72] Inventor: Ion Delu, Chitila Padure near 14,

Romania [73] Assignee: Complexual Pentru Prelucrarea Lemnuli Reghin Romania, Bucuresti, Romania [22] Filed: Sept. 8, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 70,130

[52] U.S.C1. ..84/275,84/276,84/294 [51] lnt.C1. ..Gl0d l/02,G10d 3/02 [58] FieldofSearch ..84/274,275,276,290,291,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 572,906 12/1896 McNichol ..84/275 1,413,916 4/1922 Kincannon ..84/275X 2,150,736 3/1939 Braman ..84/275 3,136,196 6/1964 Charlesworth ..84/275 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT WITH CORDS AND BOW FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 12,317 3/1881 Germany ..84/275 310,314 1/1919 Germany ..84/275 3,665 2/1908 Great Britain ..84/ 276 16,213 10/ 1 899 Great Britain ..84/274 Primary ExaminerRichard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-John F. Gonzales Attorney-Karl F. Ross 5 7] ABSTRACT A stringed instrument having the general configuration of a violin in which the front and rear resonance plates are formed along their interior with recesses of generally elliptical configuration centered on the Iongitudinal axis of the instrument while additional recesses are formed at vibration centers at quadrants of the body to permit the instrument to complement the usual violin and replace the viola or violincello in quartets and other instrumental ensembles consisting primarily of stringed instruments.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEP 19 m2 3.691.891

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FIG. 5

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT WITH CORDS AND BOW My present invention relates to a musical instrument having strings or cords designed to vibrate when manipulated with a bow and, more particularly, to an instrument having'characteristics such that instrumental and orchestral ensembles may utilize it to complement the usual violin and as a substitute for the viola and cello whereby a group of such instruments and/or one or more violins together with such instruments may be constituted as a quartet or string orchestra for interpreting musical compositions using a single technique and notation.

The principal stringed instruments in an instrumental or orchestral ensemble are the violin, viola and violincello, such instruments being grouped in quartets and like ensembles for the performance of chamber music and other compositions relying in large part upon such stringed instruments. The violin, viola and cello are characterized by the fact that they each require a different notation, operate in respective keys or clefs, and, in general, require separate and distinct manipulative techniques. Consequently, it has been necessary to train and employ instrumentalists specialized in the respective instruments when musical compositions utilizing two or more of the aforementioned instruments are to be performed. This limits, in many cases, the possibility of performing musical compositions designed for two or more distinct stringed instruments and has long constituted an inconvenience.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved musical instrument by which the aforedescribed problem can be eliminated.

l have now discovered that it is possible to create, using the basic violin structure and, more particularly, an instrument with strings resembling those of an ordinary violin, an instrument with a unique timbre and acoustical presentation approximating the deeper tones of the viola and cello, but operable in the violin key (treble clef or key of G SOL), using violin techniques, etc. Hence it is possible for a group of such instruments and the ordinary violin to perform chamber music and other musical compositions requiring different stringed instruments of the ordinary variety and exploiting instrumentalists skilled only in the violin.

The musical instrument, according to the present invention, basically comprises a hollow resonance body having the configuration normally associated with a violin and provided with a frame and a pair of resonance boards or plates, the front resonance plate having a pair of sound holes of F or S configuration.

The finger board is mounted upon this body and is formed at its end with a scroll accommodating four adjusting pegs to each of which a string is affixed, the strings running from a string holder at the opposite end of the resonance body and passing over the usual bridge. The front and rear resonance plates are held apart by a resonance pin. According to the principles of the present invention, the inner faces of the front and rear resonance plates are formed with recesses centered along the longitudinal axis of the instrument and with additional recesses centered upon respective vibration axes while a resonance bar is adhesively secured along the inner face of the front resonance plate or oblique to the instrument axis and is formed with grooves or channels and portions which are not adhesively bonded to the front resonance plate. Surprisingly, this instrument provides a totally unique timbre and instrumental nuance to musical compositions played solely with violin techniques by instrumentalists trained only in the violin.

More particularly, each resonance plate is provided with a recess concentric with the longitudinal axis of the plate and with several recesses disposed about acoustic points situated on its surface while the rear resonance plate is curved in the longitudinal direction.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FlG. l is a front elevational view of the instrument according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross section thereof;

FIG. 3 is a view of the rear resonance plate in elevation;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section along the rear resonance plate; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the resonance bar.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, i show a musical instrument according to the present invention which comprises a resonance body 1 having the general contours of the resonance body of an ordinary violin. The resonance body is formed by a front resonance plate 2 which is outwardly bowed and is provided with a pair of recesses a and b mirror-symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis A of the instrument and having an f-shape or a scroll-like configuration common to the sound holes of an ordinary violin.

The rear of the resonance body 1 is defined by the rear resonance plate 3 which is transversely bowed and is also outwardly convex in the longitudinal direction as seen in FIG. 4. The resonance plate 2 and 3 are peripherally bonded to a frame 4 which conforms to the contours of the body.

A string holder 5 is provided at the left-hand end of the frame 1 as represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 and ex tends along the longitudinal axis A. Four strings 6, corresponding to the strings of the ordinary violin, extend from the string holder 5 over a bridge 7 across the finger board 9 of the instrument to the scroll S at which pegs 10 are provided to permit adjustment of the tension of the strings. As shown in FlG. 2, the finger board 9 is extended to overlie the front resonance plate 2.

According to the principles of the present invention, both the front and rear resonance plates 2 and 3 are provided with kidney-shaped, ovoid or elliptical recesses c symmetrical or concentric with respect to the axis of symmetry of the plate and the longitudinal axis A thereof. The recesses c have centers C, and C, spaced along the axis C and radii R., R, to describe semi-circles in the enlarged bottom and top portions of the resonance body. The semi-circles are connected in the throat t of each resonance plate by generally hyperboloidal stretches of the recesses.

ln addition, each resonance plate has a pair of vibration centers D and D D, and D lying at approximately the quadrants of the resonance body, i.e. symmetrically on opposite sides of the axis A and the plane through this axis perpendicular to the resonance plate. The centers D D serve as the centers of recesses d formed in the resonance plates at vibration zones around the acoustic points of the plates. Two additional sets of recesses d are provided, one about the center D which will be seen to lie generally along the axis A to the right of the center C while the other coincides with the center C,.

Along the inside face of the front resonance plate oblique to the longitudinal axis A of the plate and as shown by the line 11a in FIG. 1, there is provided a resonance bar 11 best seen in FIG. 5. The resonance bar 11 has a center 11b from which wings 11c extend outwardly, the convex face 11d of the bar being formed with grooves e. Along the lands lle between these grooves, the bar 11 is adhesively secured to the inner surface of the front resonance plate 2. Inside the resonance body, a resonance pin 12 is pressed between the plates 2 and 3.

It has been found that the instrument illustrated in FIGS. 1 5 and described in connection therewith, can produce different timbres and nuances, depending upon the locations of the recesses and resonance bar. Hence, while each of them may be used da braccio in the manner of the ordinary violin, it can be played using violin technique and notation and can be manipulated as if the instrument was intended for operation in the treble clef, key of G or SOL, the sound produced approaches that of a viola or cello so that the instrument can be joined with the ordinary violin or collected in ensembles for the production of string-music composition.

I claim:

l. A musical instrument comprising a resonance body having the configuration of that of a violin and operable da braccio, a spring holder at one end of said body, a finger board at the other end of said body and four strings anchored to said holder and extending over a front face of said body along said finger board, a bridge being interposed between said strings and said front face, and means for imparting a characteristic timbre to said resonance body whereby the instrument may be utilized in ensembles with violins and like instruments in place of a viola or cello, the last-mentioned means comprising first recesses formed in the inner face of the front and rear plates of said body and symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof, second recesses formed in said plates about acoustic centers thereof and centered thereon, and a resonance bar affixed adhesively to said front plate at spaced locations, said resonance bar being provided with spaced-apart grooves separated by lands which are adhesively bonded to said front plate, said resonance bar lying oblique to said axis.

2. The instrument defined in claim 1 wherein said first recesses are kidney-shaped and said second recesses are circles.

3. The instrument defined in claim 2 wherein said rear plate is convex outwardly in the longitudinal direction. 

1. A musical instrument comprising a resonance body having the configuration of that of a violin and operable ''''da braccio'''' , a spring holder at one end of said body, a finger board at the other end of said body and four strings anchored to said holder and extending over a front face of said body along said finger board, a bridge being interposed between said strings and said front face, and means for imparting a characteristic timbre to said resonance body whereby the instrument may be utilized in ensembles with violins and like instruments in place of a viola or cello, the last-mentioned means comprising first recesses formed in the inner face of the front and rear plates of said body and symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof, second recesses formed in said plates about acoustic centers thereof and centered thereon, and a resonance bar affixed adhesively to said front plate at spaced locations, said resonance bar being provided with spaced-apart grooves separated by lands which are adhesively bonded to said front plate, said resonance bar lying oblique to said axis.
 2. The instrument defined in claim 1 wherein said first recesses are kidney-shaped and said second recesses are circles.
 3. The instrument defined in claim 2 wherein said rear plate is convex outwardly in the longitudinal direction. 